Saints of the Household

Written by Ari Tison

Narrated by Timothy Pabon and Alejandro Ruiz

Saints of the Household is a haunting contemporary YA about an act of violence in a small-town--beautifully told by a debut Indigenous Costa Rican-American writer--that will take your breath away.

Max and Jay have always depended on one another for their survival. Growing up with a physically abusive father, the two Bribri American brothers have learned that the only way to protect themselves and their mother is to stick to a schedule and keep their heads down.

But when they hear a classmate in trouble in the woods, instinct takes over and they intervene, breaking up a fight and beating their high school's star soccer player to a pulp. This act of violence threatens the brothers' dreams for the future and their beliefs about who they are. As the true details of that fateful afternoon unfold over the course of the novel, Max and Jay grapple with the weight of their actions, their shifting relationship as brothers, and the realization that they may be more like their father than they thought. They'll have to reach back to their Bribri roots to find their way forward.

Told in alternating points of view using vignettes and poems, debut author Ari Tison crafts an emotional, slow-burning drama about brotherhood, abuse, recovery, and doing the right thing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks
• Release date: Mar 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781667076058

Reviews for Saints of the Household

[nubianglam1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The fragmented and at times poetic rose used here will not be for everyone. But this story touched me. Indigenous brothers who must find their own way apart and together, protectors of each other and their mother in a violent home, their own outburst of violence, and the attention paid to the stories of the Bribri, their people, carried to them by their grandfather.

Tison's coming-of-age tale takes us through anger, depression, sadness, and finally to the light. You can't help but ache with the brothers as they see their home break and their mother retreat and lose her light. You cheer them on as they respond to bring back her smile and warmth, and also feel the weight of attempting to fix things, to be the strength within their home instead of being carefree teens. You also love to see them move away from and acknowledge the destructive force of violence.

Need more eyes on this book.

[Christina Poss · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the grandfather in this book and the two brothers wrestling with their mixed heritage, being Costa Rican indigenous and white Minnesotan. The poetry sections from Max’s POV are beautiful.